Egypt achieves record primary budget surplus of EGP 629bn despite sharp fall in Suez Canal revenues    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Resumption of production at El Nasr marks strategic step towards localising automotive industry: El-Shimy    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    United Bank achieves EGP 1.51bn net profit in H1 2025, up 26.9% year-on-year    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Egypt's Supreme Energy Council reviews power supply plans for 14 industrial projects    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, bilateral ties in calls with Saudi, South African counterparts    Egypt prepares to tackle seasonal air pollution in Nile Delta    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egyptian pound closes high vs. USD on Tuesday – CBE    Egypt, Colombia discuss medical support for Palestinians injured in Gaza    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



A 'Green Wave' lesson in revolting
Published in Daily News Egypt on 30 - 11 - 2011

“The Green Wave” is a protest film, a lesson in endurance, and a terrifying exposé of the staggering human rights violations committed in the aftermath of the 2009 Iranian presidential election.
Ali Samadi Ahadi's documentary mixes mobile phone footage, animation and interviews with bloggers and activists to follow the course of the Iranian green movement during the highly controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over populous candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
Screened on the first day of Egypt's parliamentary elections as part of the fourth Panorama of the European Film, “The Green Wave” serves as an often heartbreaking yet powerful warning against religious fanaticism and politics.
Like Egypt's January 25 Revolution, the film is powered by the internet, in which voices of Iran's reform activists are relayed via blog-post readings and on-screen tweets to portray a day-by-day account of the events.
The combination of animator Ali Reza Darvish's drawings and interviews with journalist and blogger Mehdi Mohseni, award-winning journalist Mitra Khalatabari, human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Shia cleric Mohsen Kadivar and international law professor Payam Akhavan create a vivid kaleidoscope of the brutal human rights attacks by Ahmadinejad's regime.
Told from the point of view of Mousavi's supporters, the colorful animation and the heart-wrenching testimonials from the exiled interviewees offer a keen and engaging insight into the psyche of Iran's failed elections and obvious corruption.
The most visually captivating element of the film is the animated sequences — the rotoscope styled frames somehow make the reality seem more vivid, stranger, and certainly more penetrating. The animated sequences are often in shades of purple and green, giving the film a bleak and often somber tone.
The film uses real documented footage to show the millions of Mousavi supporters who came out the voting polls on June 12, 2009. They were armed with optimism, adopting the color green as their emblem to create visual solidarity because “Green is the color of hope.”
The film quickly loses any vestige of hope, however, with the enraging footage that explicitly shows the government-sponsored violence that terrorized Iranians the instant the polls closed.
Soon after, the bloggers, activists and those campaigning for Mousavi were faced with the horrors of incarceration, torture, rape, and on some occasions, death.
After 10-months under transitional military rule and with political uncertainty and unrest gripping Egypt, “The Green Wave's” warnings ring unsettlingly close to home.
Lessons can be learned from the Iranian Green Movement however: the tactic of wearing green to create solidarity, while exposing an undeniable visual representation of the populous opposition.
Egyptian liberals should potentially adopt a color to be worn in unison by voters for the current parliamentary elections and the upcoming presidential elections, this method could help bring accountability to those counting the ballot boxes, at the same time creating visual solidarity.
“The Green Wave” is rebellious in nature; both the filmmaker and the interviewees provide highly personal and dangerous accounts of excessive human rights violations. The film urges filmmakers to document and honestly expose these times of transition, while also empowering them to create pictures of dissent.
“The Green Wave” proves that films, in their own right, can be a form of protest and often times can have a far deeper penetration and lasting resonance with viewers.
While the film is overwhelmingly dark and disturbing, a silver lining can be found in the unrelenting endurance of the Iranian people, reminding us here in Egypt that change does not happen overnight, and that patience is often the last refuge of the optimist.
The film closes with an activist's blog stating, “I will rebuild you, Iran, my homeland, even if I have to use my body as the clay. I will build you a roof, even if I have to use my bones. If I die, I will come from the grave to rob my enemies with my screams. I will rebuild you.”


Clic here to read the story from its source.